Netherlands National Football Team Formation

Starting Lineup

Maatsen · Frimpong · Koopmeiners · F. de Jong · Verbruggen · van Dijk · van de Ven · de Ligt · Malen · Depay · Simons

The Netherlands aim to play a vertical and aggressive game using a 3-4-3 formation. This lineup is built to hunt the ball high up the pitch and use quick transitions to catch the opposition out of position. By spreading the width across the pitch, the team looks to stretch the defence and create spaces for runners to exploit.

Verbruggen starts in goal to sweep behind a high line. The back three consists of van de Ven, van Dijk, and de Ligt. van de Ven uses his pace to cover space when the team pushes up, while van Dijk provides immense aerial strength and directs the defensive line to keep it high. de Ligt acts as a strong presence to win headers and clear the lines when under pressure. This defensive unit works to stay compact and squeeze the space to prevent passes through the middle.

In the middle of the pitch, F. de Jong and Koopmeiners form a central pair. F. de Jong acts as a carrier to progress through the thirds and connect the defence to the attack. Koopmeiners works to win the second ball and makes late runs into the box to add numbers. Maatsen and Frimpong play as attacking wing backs to provide width. They overlap the wingers to create overloads and whip it in from the flanks to find the strikers.

The attacking front line features Depay, Malen, and Simons. Malen leads the line as a central striker to hold up the ball and pin the last defender. Depay and Simons operate as inverted wingers who cut inside to create goal scoring chances in the half spaces. They press from the front to trigger a press in the opposition half and force a long ball. This lineup allows for quick one two combinations and runs in behind the defensive line.

This 3-4-3 offers massive advantages in wide areas. Maatsen and Frimpong can create wide overloads by pushing high and overlapping the wingers. The team can also use its ability to press high in coordinated waves to win it back high up the pitch. The ball carrying of F. de Jong allows the Netherlands to break quickly once the ball is won.

This formation relies on high intensity and quick movement to dominate games. It is best suited for facing opponents who play a slow build up or leave gaps behind their full backs.